What did Fidel, the humorist
world statesman, mean?
[September 11, 2010]

A former self-confessed socialist turned mass media career writer
and friend of Zionism, Jeffrey Goldberg, wrote an important think piece
on a probable war against Iran: “The Point of No Return”,
The Atlantic, September, 2010 issue.

A prolific reader and analyst of world affairs, Fidel Castro read the
article and took a unique tactical step: he invited the Establishment
writer to hear the leader of Cuba’s revolution “warn the
world public opinion hoping…to contribute to avoid” yet
another war in the Middle East that could “have lethal consequences
for the rest of the world. This is what Fidel told his University of
Havana audience, September 10, in response to Goldberg’s writings.
(http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=29161

Fidel accepted the presence of Goldberg’s friend, Julia Sweig,
the Council of Foreign Relations director for Latin American Studies,
a Rockefeller Senior Fellow. Fidel and Sweig also know one another.
I believe Fidel knew that with Sweig present he could send a message
directly to the major capitalist class and its politicians in Washington
and Jerusalem. (http://www.cfr.org/about/history/cfr/anniversary_foreword.html

But Fidel made a mistake by not having the sessions tape recorded—or
did he. Perhaps his people did record the conversations but Fidel decided
to let his style of talking between the lines lead to interpretations
of what he meant. As it stands now there is voluminous speculation about
what Fidel really meant about two important issues: 1) Does the Cuban
“model” work? 2) Did Fidel make a mistake in the 1962 missile
crisis?

1) What did Fidel mean when he replied to Goldberg’s question:
“I asked him if he believed the Cuban model was still something
worth exporting.” Both Goldberg and Fidel agree that Fidel replied:
“The Cuban model doesn’t even work for us anymore.”(http://www.theatlantic.com/jeffrey-goldberg

Goldberg wants us to believe that there can only be the literal interpretation:
it doesn’t work. And then, one is to assume Fidel is advocating
some form of capitalism. Goldberg, however, is unaware of how humorous
Fidel is.

Fidel explained his reply during his September 10 speech, in which his
new book, “The strategic counteroffensive”, was launched.
He said that Goldberg’s question “implicitly suggested that
Cuba exported the Revolution”, something Fidel has long denied,
at least since the end of the 1960s. So, I think that Fidel’s
reply was a humorous way of saying Cuba does not export its economy
or its revolution generally.

Fidel has always opposed the capitalist system, as he reiterated in
this speech, but his government was forced to survive upon the fall
of Cuba’s economic-political partners in 1989-90, and it adopted
various market mechanisms, partial sales of some property and joint
ventures with foreign capital, plus the use of foreign currency by all
who can acquire such—still a minority of the population. These
regressions from socialism have sometimes been employed by nearly all
communist party-led governments from the time of the New Deal during
Lenin’s life down to today.

Cuban leaders are indicating that the economy is failing, and more reforms
are about to occur. But are the ones just announced—cutting out
one million state employees, encouraging them to become self-employed
or join new private companies—the best for a socialist economy
and equalitarianism? I doubt it. What should be reformed?

As a solidarity worker-writer for and with Cuba since April 1961, and
during eight years working for Cuban media, I have long encouraged implementing
worker control, putting the working class truly in power by diminishing
the nearly exclusive power of government officials (and civil servant
bureaucrats) to make the most important decisions. In short, to stimulate
worker enthusiasm, worker creativity and production, let Cuba be what
is called a “proletarian dictatorship”, and thereby a more
true democracy. That cannot happen if “new private enterprises”,
as the government announces, are in the hands of employers, that is,
capitalists. Workers must be the owners and producers, and decision-makers.

2) On the matter of whether Fidel was mistaken about the 1962 missile
crisis when, according to Goldberg, Fidel “recommend[ed] that
the Soviets bomb the U.S.” And Fidel allegedly answered, “After
I’ve seen what I’ve seen, and knowing what I know now, it
wasn’t worth it all.”

I will not try to interpret what Fidel meant, but he did not say he
had been mistaken in his September 10 speech. Read Fidel’s reply.
(http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=29161
I must admit I am uncertain what Fidel really did mean. He goes on to
talk about a drunken Russian president.

What is important about this question of possible nuclear war back then
is that Fidel is worried about nuclear war today. It seems that he is
so worried that he has taken the extraordinary step of criticizing an
ally, Iran, which is aiding Cuba economically. According to Goldberg,
Fidel “criticized Ahmadinejad for denying the Holocaust and explained
why the Iranian government would better serve the cause of peace by
acknowledging the `unique´ history of anti-Semitism and trying
to understand why Israelis fear for their existence.”

Unfortunately, in this writing on his blog, Goldberg does not actually
quote Fidel’s criticism but rather describes and interprets it.
The same can be said about the title of this September 7 piece: “Fidel
to Ahmadinejad: `Stop Slandering the Jews´”. While the inter-quotes
indicate these are Fidel’s words, this is not written in the text.

Fidel seems to appeal to Jews around the world, including Zionists,
by speaking favorably about them, their culture and religion, their
long struggle of survival against pogroms and the Holocaust, and he
spoke admiringly of their resistance and intelligence. He told Goldberg,
“I don’t think anyone has been slandered more than the Jews.
I would say much more than the Muslims.”

Fidel seems to appeal to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and
Muslims around the world, in his September 10 speech: “Muslims
were attacked and persecuted for their beliefs by the European Christians
for much more than 12 centuries.”

He added: “Palestinians are deprived [of] their lands, their
homes are demolished by gigantic equipment, and men, women and children
are bombed with white phosphorous and other extermination means.”
And he added that other Muslims in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq are
being murdered by conflicts imposed upon them by US presidents.

Conclusion:

1. To Goldberg: Perhaps you were not allowed to tape record, otherwise
tape recording important interviews with leaders is essential to avoid
just what is happening: “I didn’t mean that”. Always
double check when in doubt about what leaders mean, especially if you
are not allowed to tape record. Then again, perhaps Goldberg was pleased
that the meaning was vague, not elaborated upon. In that way, he could
make a sensation.

2. Regardless of the exactness of the statements in question what is
important about Fidel’s initiative here is that this great political
leader and statesman is speaking directly to the major players and encouraging
an ally and two enemies to accept the olive branch.

3. Fidel is also encouraging criticism and self-critique among friends
and allies.

I hope that political leaders, communist party members, solidarity
workers with Cuba, with all ALBA lands and oppressed peoples take Fidel’s
intentions to heart. We must be open to dialogue, to criticism and self-critique.
And we must work tirelessly to prevent and stop wars.

PS: Fidel invited Goldberg, Sweig and Adela Dworin, the president of
Cuba’s Jewish community to see his favorite animals exercise in
Cuba’s dolphin aquarium. Goldberg wrote that Fidel thinks the
dolphin show is the best in the world, “completely unique”,
because it is an underwater show with human divers performing acrobatics
with them. And Goldberg concluded that he had never seen anyone enjoy
a dolphin show as much as Fidel did.

I know the show myself. It was a favorite of mine when I lived there.
What is interesting to me about this is: a) The world’s major
communist leader is a fan of these intelligent kindly animals and sends
a message to war makers: be as gentle as dolphins; b) On the same day,
I was observing a wild dolphin “show” where Rio Sado meets
the Atlantic Ocean, in Setúbal, Portugal. And this was during
Europe’s largest festival (Avante newspaper) of communists and
other leftists sending a message of world peace.

Watching dolphins in Setúbal, Portugal. Photo: Charlotte
Borup

PS: Fidel invited Goldberg, Sweig and Adela Dworin,
the president of Cuba’s Jewish community to see his favorite animals
exercise in Cuba’s dolphin aquarium. Goldberg wrote that Fidel
thinks the dolphin show is the best in the world, “completely
unique”, because it is an underwater show with human divers performing
acrobatics with them. And Goldberg concluded that he had never seen
anyone enjoy a dolphin show as much as Fidel did.

I know the show myself. It was a favorite of mine when I lived there.
What is interesting to me about this is: a) The world’s major
communist leader is a fan of these intelligent kindly animals and sends
a message to war makers: be as gentle as dolphins; b) On the same day,
I was observing a wild dolphin “show” where Rio Sado meets
the Atlantic Ocean, in Setúbal, Portugal. And this was during
Europe’s largest festival (Avante newspaper) of communists and
other leftists sending a message of world peace.

(This version is the update published in Havana Times.org on September
15, following my first version on September 11, which was published
by DissidentVoice.org and Tlaxcala.es. In the current version I partially
respond to the just announced economic reforms.)